Last year we had around 25 tomato plants. This year there are 33. I think I am probably at the max for this spot.

And yes I know I am CRAZY to have that many plants!

The really cool thing that I am thankful for is that I canned/froze enough diced tomatoes for our family for 9 months. Not to shabby for around a $5-10 investment. It isn’t usually that much but I bought some t-posts for holding up my fencing. So hopefully this year we will go for a full year without buying tomatoes from the store.

Since I bought those posts I am changing how I “cage” my tomatoes. I used to use the normal circular cages. That took up A LOT of room.

Now I am using what I call a trellis but it is just some fencing that we used to keep the dog out of my flower gardens. Using the t-posts to keep the fence upright seems to be sturdier than the circular cages which seem to blow over whenever a Missouri thunderstorm comes through.

It allows me to plant things a little closer together. It is SO much easier to weed and water everything. Speaking of weeding. I do have helpers who are great at pulling weeds & finding those yucky tomatoes caterpillars!

Gardening should be a family thing! My men turn over the soil, I plan it out, the kids & I plant & everyone helps with weeding & harvesting. Here is a prize from last year!